To the Moon & Back
by Teiko
Summary: Just FYI--I really...really don't like part 3, and the beginning of 2 is okay....I only like 1, best. The year is 2003. Taichi, Daisuke and Takeru disappeared a month ago, on a Digimon mission and can't be found. But on a rainy night, one returns.... Ple
1. Part One, the good part

Author's Note: I don't know much about the Japanese language, but I like my stories to sound authentic. I'm trying out suffixes here, and if I totally mutilate them, just ignore it, okay? Thanks much. (: 

December, 2003

I shut the door quietly behind me. It's late, though not past my curfew.

"Hikari-chan, who drove you home tonight?" my father asks. He's still awake, watching the news and puffing a cigarette. 

"Yamato," I answer, fumbling to get my homework out of my backpack. Should have done it earlier, but oh well.

"Do I know his parents? What's his other name?"

Honestly, parents forget so easily. "Ishida, Dad," I sigh. "Takeru's big brother." Don't tell me you've forgotten Takeru. Have you forgotten Taichi too?

"Oh, I remember Takeru. He's…." My father trails off, not wanting to finish the sentence. 

Yeah, that's him, I think as I retreat to my room. Try not to look at the empty bed. Try no to look at the dirty socks, now coated with a thin layer of dust. Try not to cry. 

But I do, before I even reach my 3rd Algebra problem. The tears make the ink run, and I throw the paper away. Forget homework. I crawl into bed without getting changed, still wearing my makeup and shoes.

It's okay, Hikari. Just cry.

I never did that homework. It was the third time this week that'd happened, but I didn't care. 

I pass Miyako in the hall, but we just nod hello. Neither of us talks much anymore. Not that it's been that long…only a month Thursday. Not that I'm counting.

Koushiro's a grade up, so I only see him after school and in the Digiworld. Sometimes, like on the days I visit the guidance counselor, or when I get in trouble for falling asleep in class, we all walk home together. 

Daisuke is gone. Like Takeru. Like Taichi. 

I count on Yamato a lot, I guess. We're going through the same thing. 

Like I said, things haven't been like this that long. Before, I was doing well. A sophomore in high school, I had friends, I had family, decent grades, and something most kids don't have—the Digiworld. The Digiworld needed us to fight for it, keep it safe from those who wanted to rule it (the power-hungry obsessive ones). Most are happy under the rule of our kind leader. Our job (and our Digimon's) was playing bodyguard. It was classic superhero-series work: Bad guys attack, we struggle, good guys (us) win. Attack, struggle, win, repeat.

Then we got word of a plotted attempt on our protected's life and decided to take no chances. After lots of talking, Taichi, Takeru and Daisuke were to go. Iori wanted to go, but in the end he stayed. I'm glad. We need as many strong people we can get, and I'm sure not one of them. Somehow Iori's become one of the strongest we've got.

The point is, we haven't seen or heard from those three in almost a month.

"Seems like everyone wants to rule the Digiworld these days, doesn't it?" Takeru said before he left. My mouth smiles, but my eyes stay emotionless.

"Hikari!"

"What?!" I yelp, my voice cracking. I cough.

My teacher frowns at me. "Algebra homework," he says. "Do you have it?"

I look down at my desk. "No."

"This isn't like you, Hikari-san," he sighs. I know he's thinking about the parent-teacher conference I'll be going to next. I'm dreading it. I don't want to make it any harder on my already-stressed parents, but I can't help it.

"I'm so glad you could come," says my guidance counselor (would you believe I don't know her name, after all those hours I've spent in her office?) to my parents. I don't hear it as she introduces herself, because I'm worrying about the look on my parent's faces. Tuning people out has become my specialty. 

"Hikari-san has been displaying unusual behavior recently," she says. "Falling asleep in class, not doing her homework, and when I meet with her she won't talk." Don't you just love the way they talk about you like you're not there? Miyako's peeking in the window, her headphones on so loud I can see them vibrating when she holds still.

An old blue jeep pulls up behind her. It beeps four times before she turns around.

"Any ideas as to what the cause of this is?" asks the guidance counselor. My parents hesitate before my mother speaks.

"Our son, Taichi, has been missing for some time," she says, and I know she's having a hard time getting the words out. "He left for the weekend with some friends and…"

"They were Hikari's friends too," my father adds, by way of finishing the sentence. "And she was very close to her brother."

Absolutely, I think. A few hundred times I've been in trouble, and guess who always came to help.

Yamato's in the blue jeep, I know because the top is down. Miyako's talking to him. I wonder what she's saying. Wait for me, I think. I'll be out of here as soon as possible.

The adults have stopped talking. They're looking at me, I can tell. I keep looking out the window.

"Perhaps we should continue this alone," guidance counselor suggests. My parents nod.

"Be home for dinner," my father tells me as I grab my pack and dash out the door. 

"How'd it go?" Miyako asks right away. 

I shrug. "They said I could go, so I did. Hardly anything happened."

"Are you okay?" Yamato asks. 

"As I'll ever be, under the circumstances," I say dryly. He doesn't push it, but I know I don't fool anyone.

Miyako gives me a "should I stay?" look. I shrug again, and she takes off with a falsely cheerful "see you later!"

"I wish you could relax," I say to Yamato as I hop in the passenger side of the car. He pulls it out of neutral and we drive down the street, not going anywhere in particular. 

"They would want you to be able to be happy," he says, eyes fixed on the road. 

"You're talking like they're dead," I say, before I start crying. Because I know that's what we fear. 

We stop for a red light, and I just get out. "Bye!" Yamato calls as I jog to the sidewalk. I know where I am—we haven't gone more than a mile.

When I get home there are three messages for me on the machine. The first was Miyako, "just wanted to check on you. Call me if you need to."

The next was Koushiro. "Plan A has failed. Call me to discuss initiation of Plan B." In case you didn't know, Plan A was the Digimon trying to find tracks from our friends. Plan B means more of us goes the same way and hope for some signs. But if Plan A's failed, Plan B doesn't stand much of a chance.

The last message was from my parents. "Don't make any plans for tonight. We need to talk to you about the conference today."

"Just wonderful," I mutter, grabbing a box of crackers and go lie on the roof. I'll stare at the sky until my parents get back.

I fall asleep up there. When I wake up, it's too cold and much darker. I hurry down to my home.

"There you are, Hikari-chan!" my mother exclaims. "We were worried!"

"I'm sorry," I apologize, "I fell asleep on the roof."

They apparently decide not to question that. "We wish you would talk to us about what you're going through," she continues. "I know it must be hard on you." I sit down and am quiet.

"The guidance counselor says you don't talk to her either," my father says. "Who do you talk to? Miyako?"

"Sometimes," I say. "Sometimes I talk to Yamato-kun." I stop, and wonder what they think of this. I should be talking to them about Taichi and them being gone, but for one thing, I feel guilty about know more than they do. I mean, to them there are few reasons for him disappearing. 

One might be he was kidnapped, but really, Taichi's 18 now. The odds are against that. He could have run away, but he was too happy. Or at least seemed so. Sadly, the likeliest of them all is he met up with a deranged person who…well, you can guess.

I'm hoping they're really just lost in the Digiworld, even though that's not probable. They knew where they were going, they had their Digimon with them, and they were the stronger ones. 

I should have gone, I'm thinking now. It wasn't even that difficult a mission. When I think about it, it seems stupid of us. Two of us could have handled it. 

No one even asked you if you wanted to go, I think. And they wouldn't let Iori go. Do the others know something I don't? 

If I had gone, Taichi would have found me by now.

The phone rings. I jump and realize I've been quiet for a long time. My mother answers the phone. "Hikari-chan, it's Koushiro," she says, holding it out. 

"Hello?" I say. 

"Forget plan B," he says urgently. "Come to the computer room at the middle school."

"What? Why?"

"Taichi's come back!"

I nearly drop the phone. "Be right there!"

My father's looking at me. "I'd rather you didn't go out tonight, Hikari-chan," he says. 

"Dad, it's really important," I say. "I'll be back before curfew, I promise."

Just as I think he's going to order me to stay, he says, "is this about Taichi?" 

"Yes."

He's quiet for a moment. "Go ahead."

Giving him a look of great thanks, I rush out the door. Yamato is conveniently waiting for me, Sora with him. I sit in the back and am quiet, feeling uncomfortable in the silence. The ride seems much longer than the approximate 2 minutes it takes to drive to the school.

I have yet to see my brother in a sadder state. His clothes are torn, his lip is bleeding. He's crying and cradling his wrist as Jyou bandages it. Miyako's using a tissue to wipe the blood from his cracked and dry lips.

"Taichi!" I whisper, running over. Closer up, I can see one of his eyes won't open quite right. I rest my hand on his head and hug him as gently as I can, in case he's hurt somehow else. 

A rapping breaks the tense almost-quiet, and I look up. Koushiro is hunched over the keyboard of our old Digiport computer, typing furiously. Why we're at this old place, I don't know.

An hour later, and we're still there, trying to be patient as Taichi comes to his senses. Koushiro finally stops typing and comes to sit with us. Us—all except Mimi, Daisuke and Takeru.

"Taichi-kun," Sora says softly. "Can you hear me?"

His eyes shift over to her, and he reaches out with his good arm. She squeezes his fingertips and smiles. "Don't worry. You're okay."

"Daisuke," he says hoarsely. "Takeru—" and looks apologetically at Yamato "I left—" He's caught in a fit of coughing, and drinks some water. 

"Whatever happened, it's okay," Yamato says.

"Maybe we should take you home," says Iori, observing us all.

"What'll I tell my parents?" I say. "What happened?

Miyako sighs. "Iori and I were at the fortress, and they just snuck up on us, coming from the desert. All of a sudden Biyomon came flying in, and we all ran out…. Agumon was with him. We left him with the other Digimon."

"Tell your parents the truth, just leave things out," Iori suggests.

"Simple enough," I say.

"Okay, Taichi-kun," Sora says to him, "think you can make it home?"

It takes Yamato, Jyou and Sora all together to carry him out to Yamato's car. He takes up the whole back seat, lying down like a ripped-up rag doll, so Jyou will drive Sora home as well as Miyako and Iori. Koushiro is on the computer again.

Yamato notices how nervous I am as he drives. "I would think you would be really happy," he says.

I am, I think. I am jumping for joy inside. But don't you see?—he's back, but he's alone and hurt. What's happened to Takeru and Daisuke? He said "I left—" does that mean he abandoned them? Were they too wounded to make it back? Or did they think they could handle it themselves? What if they couldn't?

All I say is, "I told my father I'd be back by curfew and it's past midnight."

"Won't they be glad Taichi's back, though?"

"Yeah," I say, and a smile falls over my lips. "If I'm ever late, this is the one time I think they'll let it go."

From the back, Taichi groans. "We're almost there," I say, speaking as you would to a sick child. 

When we get to the complex, Taichi insists he can walk. We help him all the way up to our apartment. I ring the bell. 

My parents gasp when they open the door. "Taichi-kun!" they exclaim. My mother hugs him, and I think she's crying. 

We take him right into our room, and throw back the dusty blankets. He lies down with his clothes still on. It begins to rain as he falls asleep, all within 5 minutes. 

Yamato curses under his breath. "I left the top down on my jeep," he says. "Excuse me, but I've got to go." My parents acknowledge this with a slight nod.

"I'll help you," I offer, none to eager to explain how I suddenly brought home my missing-for-four-weeks brother. On our way out I grab a towel, with the feeling we'll need it. 

Outside it's more than raining—it's pouring. Yamato's car is becoming a bathtub as we hurry to roll the top over the bars and tie it down. We're both soaked.

"Thanks," Yamato says. I hand him the towel, as if it'll do any good. From the shelter of the inside, I watch him drive away. Now that Tai's asleep, I know I'll have to face my parents when I go back upstairs.


	2. Part Two, the okay part

First, a tremendous thanks to everyone who reviewed the first part! Even if you reviewed the 1st, I'd still really appreciate it if you'd review this part too, so I know it lives up to the other. (: 

"Hikari-chan?"

My parents are waiting for me when I come back up. I'm cold, wet, and really tired, but I know I have some explaining to do. I wrap up in a blanket and sit down on the couch. 

"We're not mad at you, Hikari-chan," says my father, sitting down as well. "We just want to know what happened."

I cough, trying to give myself a few more seconds to plan what I'm going to say. "Mi--Miyako found him."

"Found him? Where?"

"At the middle school."

"What was she doing at the middle school?"

"She was there with Iori," I say quickly. "He's 11." I study their eyes carefully, wanting to know the instant they don't believe me. Going pretty well so far, and I continue. "He was just lying there, so she called me and Yamato-kun picked me up and drove me there. Taichi-kun was there and, um, he was really hurt, so we had to wait until we could get him into Yamato's car, and then he wanted to walk up to here and.…" I'm a little off topic, but I'm talking and filling the gap. With some effort I manage to make sense and--stop.

My parents are quiet. I close my eyes for a moment, and nearly fall asleep in that short amount of time. "Can I go lie down?" I ask, not entirely sure of what they said, about not being mad at me. 

"Sleep well," my mother says. 

I trudge off to bed, but as I wash my face, I start to feel lightness on my shoulders and in my heart. Not much, but enough to notice. Taichi is back, I think to myself. We'll take him to the doctor's tomorrow, but he's okay. He's okay.

A day passes, and I feel like I'm in a haze. Taichi is okay, says the doctor. His wrist is fractured, he's wearing a patch over his weak eye, and has bandages in numerous other places to keep his cuts and gashes from getting infected. He was in the newspaper this morning, and people keep coming by to see him. Especially Sora. In fact, I haven't gotten to talk to my brother much at all.

I am thinking all this as I sit on the roof, not as blank and distant as I was a few days ago. The sun is starting to set, and I try not to look directly at it. This sunset is spectacular, the colors waving through the sky and dyeing the clouds a darker shade. 

My train of thought is broken when I hear footsteps behind me. "Taichi-kun? What're you doing up here?"

He smiles. "Looking for you. Koushiro called, he wants to meet and figure out what we should do."

I sigh. Can they meet without me? I don't feel like going."

"I'm sure they can." He is quiet, watching the sunset like I am. I can't tell you the relief I feel, now that he's back. But I also feel that I will not be completely at ease until I know what's happened to my friends.

"I have to go back there, you know," Taichi says, as though he's reading my mind.

Go back? I think. What do you mean, exactly? "Please tell me what happened," I say, even though he's been avoiding the subject.

He is silent for quite a while, but I know he hears me, so I let him be. When he finally speaks, his voice is so soft I don't even think, for fear I'll miss a word.

"There are things we didn't tell you, Hikari," he says. "But I know you're smarter than you're pretending."

So what if I am? I think. Playing dumb can be the easiest way out sometimes.

"Didn't you wonder why us three went, when we were up against the Numemon, for pete's sake?" Now he sounds almost angry, and I feel like I've let him down. "Weren't you suspicious?"

"Yes," I say, tearing my eyes away from the beautiful sunset. I stare at my hands. "I wondered. But I didn't think you would keep anything important from me."

That must sting, because Taichi changes the subject some. "We started out, and everything was fine. Then we stopped to rest and eat--it was nighttime by then--and somehow, I still don't know, Takeru and Daisuke convinced me they could handle this alone. It was like I forgot about the real danger, the reason all three of us went, and the reason we wouldn't let Iori come, and just remembered the Numemon. What's more, I think I started off in the completely wrong direction, and they didn't do anything." He stops to rub his forehead with his good hand. "I don't remember much after that, except…." He sighs. "The danger followed me, Hikari. I almost died. I don't know how I survived, and then even made it back. But I left them, left them all alone. And if it found me, it probably found them too. I hoped that when I returned, they would already be here, but…."

I give my brother a hug, and hold him so tight, like some bird's just going to swoop down from the sky and carry him away from me forever.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Taichi-kun."

"I'm glad to be safe, my little sister." He stands up. "Come on. Let's go back inside."

The telephone rings, and I answer it. "Hello?"

"Hikari?" 

"Yes, who is this?"

"Yamato."

"Oh, hi." He sounds different on the phone. "Sorry, I didn't recognize your voice."

"It's okay," he says. "Where were you yesterday? Everyone else met at Koushiro's."

I shrug, even though he can't see me. "I didn't want to go."

"Well, I'm supposed to update you and Taichi. We want to move out tonight, so tell your parents you're at Miyako's or something, okay?

Tonight? Why so soon? I wonder. "What exactly are we planning to do?"

He pauses. "Iori hopes that now that Taichi's back we can find…them."

"Taichi is determined to go back, does Iori know that?"

"I think he's anticipating it."

I stop to absorb all this. "Okay, We'll be ready after school. Will you pick us up?"

"Okay. But Hikari…."

"What?"

"…This mission…it's different from all the other ones. I can't say how, but…be careful."

"Don't worry," I say, trying to soothe my fears as well as his. "All together, we can handle anything, right?"

Taichi takes the bus to the high school, and meets me outside. Yamato picks us up as promised, and he starts driving us to…where? I guess he knows.

I know they've been keeping something from me, it's obvious now. But am I the only one who doesn't know about this? Taichi and Yamato know. I guess Daisuke and Takeru do…or did. 

Don't think like that! I say angrily to myself. They're going to be fine, you'll see. We'll save them. Tears run down my cheeks, cooling my burning face. I just can't imagine life without two of my best friends….

"Hey," Taichi says, looking over his shoulder at me. "Hikari, are you all right?"

I nod, but he knows I'm not. What if we can't find them? What if they're…dead?

Yamato stops the car and I realize we're already there. "The middle school?" I say in surprise. 

"This is where Koushiro said to meet," Yamato shrugs, like it's not his fault.

We walk down the familiar hallways, heading straight for the computer room. I feel a strong sense of deja vue, seeing my friends clustered around that one computer.

"Hello. Are you all set to go?" Iori asks.

"I am," Taichi says.

Sora looks up. "Taichi-kun, you're not going, are you?"

"Of course I am!" he says defensively. "I have to go."

"But you just got back," Sora says. We know what she really means--you're not strong enough.

"Sora, what hope do you have of finding them without me?" His voice is a mixture of anger and concern. "I'll be fine, you'll see."

"The Digiport is open," Koushiro says. "It's time, guys."

I haven't been to the Digiworld in a long time. A month at least. The old stone fortress seems friendly, welcoming even, although it looks no different than it did when we first made it our headquarters. Maybe it's because I know who is inside. 

The doorknocker sounds low and loud as Koushiro drops it--four times, pause, two times, pause, five times, pause, seven times. It must be some kind of code, but I don't know it. 

We walk around to a small side door, and our Digimon start coming out quickly and silently.

"Where's Agumon?" Taichi asks in a whisper. 

"I'm going to stay and take care of him," Palmon says from the doorway. "Hikari, Angewomon asked me to give you this." She hands me a box as big as her, with ragged holes in the sides.

"If you don't hear from us in a week, you contact Mimi, all right?" Sora says.

"Okay. Good luck to you all."

The box is considerable heavy, but I don't open it yet. There's a card on the top that says not to open around every else, so I wait until darkness falls and I can drop back. 

Pulling out the paper in the box, the first thing I see is and eye. It blinks at me, and I have the strong desire to close it back up. But Angewomon would never send something to harm me, and next I see a paw. A tail. 

"Gatomon!" I whisper. "What are you doing? Why aren't you Angewomon? Shouldn't you be back at the fortress?"

She climbs out and shakes herself off. "I'm not doing my job of ruling the Digiworld being locked up in there. I'm coming with you."

"But all this is to protect you," I say as she crawls into my backpack.

"No, it _was _to protect the Digiworld. Now it's about finding Takeru and Daisuke. Come on, we have to catch up with the others."

I hurry up, and no one notices I was gone. Angewomon is ruler, and here she is, putting herself in danger with the hope that she can save four friends. She amazes me--not that I wouldn't do that myself, in a heartbeat, but still.

I'm walking a few steps to the side of everyone else, when suddenly my feet slip and I land hard on my back. My feet are hanging over a giant hole--wide, maybe eight feet deep. Maybe more. 

"Are you okay?" Miyako asks, coming over. She sees the hole. "Wow."

"I almost fell in," I say. "It was covered with sticks and--" I start to say, but a voice is calling "Help! Hey! Helllllp!"

"Oh my gosh! Someone's down there!" she says. "Everyone! Come quick!"

The others crowd around us, peering into the hole. "Hey! It's me!"

"That sounds like Veemon," says Gabumon. 

"Yeah! Get us out of here!"

"Don't worry, we're coming!" shouts Sora.

After and hour of debating, searching and tying, we managed to make a length of rope that will reach the bottom. Daisuke is, according to Veemon, sleeping. When I first heard this I imagined the worst, but Veemon's sure he's _only_ sleeping. Iori climbs down on the rope, and ties it around Daisuke so we can pull him and Veemon up. Then Iori climbs back up.

We're doing everything we can and working hard (especially Jyou), but Daisuke looks worse than my brother did. And I didn't think that was possible. He and Veemon have been down there for weeks, with nothing to eat but the leaves that fell down there with them. He's so thin, it makes me sick to look at him. The dirt he was lying in must have been infested with bugs, because they're both covered with bites and we've had to burn a few off that were still biting. Daisuke is paler than snow.

I touch his hand, and it's so cold. I keep thinking of when Taichi came back. It's so the same, they were both so miserable and suffering. I might even as well be back in that dim computer room at midnight, because I'm thinking and feeling almost the same things. Daisuke used to have a crush on me, but he's past that now. We both are. Instead, he's one of my best friends, like a brother. And here I am, I let this happen to my real brother, and it's happening again. Why didn't I do anything? What could I have done? Something, I tell myself, something. Whose fault is it, if not mine?

"I'm so sorry, Daisuke-kun," I say. "It's all my fault. I don't know what happened, but I should have been there. I should have been smarter and not let you guys keep this stuff from me. I won't let you die, I promise."

"It's not your fault, Hikari," Yamato says, sitting down on the other side of Daisuke. I didn't know he was awake. "Go rest, I'll keep watch." 

Instead of walking away to be with the others, I lie down right there. "I promised him I wouldn't let him die," I say. "If he just makes it through the night…."

Yamato looks directly into my eyes, and it's all I can do not to look away. Without a word, he gets up and goes back to sleep. 

As I think about him and Taichi and whatever it is I'm not supposed to know. I wonder if I could have just stayed ignorant. But no, it's too much. I wonder if when Daisuke is better, he will tell me something about what happened. Am I supposed to think he just fell into an eight-foot-hole? What about Takeru, where is he?

Takeru…I can only hope he's still alive.


	3. The First Ending (that I'm seriously not...

I'm done! This's it. I'm not as happy with it as I could be, I wish it sounded more like the beginning, but I'm too tired of it to work anymore. But I still like it! And please don't get mad at me for the ending, any devoted Takari and Dakari (is that right?) fans. 

Everyone is forced to hang around the next day, because we can't travel with Daisuke. I can tell they're anxious--so am I. 

"You know," Miyako's saying as we eat lunch, "why do we even bother sticking together like this? Wouldn't we cover a lot more ground individually?" Daisuke stops eating and gives her a pointed look. She doesn't notice.

"That's true!" Iori says.

"I didn't think of that," says Koushiro. He starts laughing and I join in, for no real reason. Taichi looks at me strangely for a moment, then he's laughing too.

Yamato stands up. "In that case, I'll just go." 

"Bye!" Sora waves cheerfully.

"NO!" 

Suddenly I feel like everything's spinning and I've been holding my breath for a long time, now finally letting it out. I look at Daisuke. "What did you say?"

"No one is leaving, Yamato!" Daisuke says in a firm voice. 

I meet Taichi's eyes, and I remember what he said on the roof. "Yamato, stop," I say. He reels a little before sitting down again. I look up at the sky, and a chill runs down my spine. The sun is behind a cloud, sure enough, but even after it moves I'm still cold.

I wake up shivering, like someone stole the blankets from my bed. A cold wind whips through the air. The silence of night in the Digiworld seems loud and ominous as I stand, my eyes to the sky. 

I hear a soft crackling in the distance, with some sort of rhythm to it. For a full ten minutes I stand, listening. Footsteps.

Don't be scared, Hikari, I tell myself. Just see what it is. Trying not to make any sound, I move a little in one direction. No, it's coming from over there. We are camped just on the edge of the woods, with open hills on one side and dense forest on the other.

My eyes confirm visual--someone is coming. All I can see though is that it looks human-ish, with somekind of lump hanging in the air beside it. 

"Takeru, can we rest now?" says the lump.

I stifle a yelp. "Takeru!!!" I shout, running over.

He looks confused. "What--Hikari? What're you doing here?"

"Looking for you! Where have you been?"

"I'm on a mission," he says, "remember? The Numemon?"

I study his face. No cuts, no bruises, no dry and cracked lips. His skin is as healthy and tan as it was when he left, and all his limbs are intact. "Takeru, that was over a month ago."

"No it wasn't," he says. "It was like, three days ago."

"No, trust me, it was a month. Where have you been?"

Takeru looks at me, and his eyes slowly cross themselves, then even out again. He sucks air in through his teeth. "My head…." 

"It's okay," I say. "Everyone else is over here." I lead him back to the camp, and Miyako is awake.

"Oh, there you are. Why did you---" she stops, seeing Takeru. "Ohmygosh! Takeru, you're back!"

He smiles, "yes I am. But if I knew you were worried about me, I would have come sooner."

"Of course you would," she says, hugging him. Then she starts poking the others with her feet, trying to wake them. At first they're reluctant, but all she has to add is "Takeru's back!" and they're up in a flash. I stand back, watching the happy scene. That weight that first began to lift when Taichi returned is now gone, obsolete. For the first time in a month, I laugh earnestly. They look at me strangely, but I just smile. Miyako looks from me to Taichi, to Takeru, to Daisuke, and she laughs too. Maybe the others don't get it, but we do, and we laugh so hard we're crying.

A sudden tremor goes through the ground, shaking our feet out from under us. It's proceeded by a flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder, one right after the other. That cold feeling washes over me again. Clouds move in to cover the moon, like a well-organized drill team, and I can't see any more of its light.

"Creepy," I mutter, before seeing the look on my brother's face. It's not just creepy to him, he's scared. "Taichi-kun, what's going on?"

He fumbles for my hand. Quickly, he pushes me into some bushes on the edge of the clearing, a little ways away from the others. "Stay here. Don't make a single sound, you understand me?" 

"I understand," I whisper. He turns and runs back to the others. For a moment I can see Jyou hiding Miyako and Iori, before hiding himself. I'm scared now. Taichi spoke of danger, is this it? 

There is another flash of lightning, and I see a figure silhouetted on a far hill. It looks somewhat human, I think as it comes closer. Two legs, anyway. It has a bandana or something tied over its forehead, and baggy clothes hang off thin arms. When I can see its face, though, I know it's not human at all. The eyes are red, perfect circles, and it has no nose.

It stops, maybe fifteen or twenty feet from the edge of the woods. It…smiles. "Yes, Iori, I am that secret," it says with a voice like sandpaper on a car hood. Secret? What secret? Did Iori say something? "Do you care to introduce me, Takeru, or should I do it myself?" I strain my ears, listening for a hint of voice. But I can't hear anything except thunder in the distance, coming closer again.

"Very well. For those of you who do not know--I am Nikaermon." He pauses. "I am a Digimon, yes. Do I still look human to you in the forest there?" No, I think, but I am closer than the others. Surely Taichi didn't mean for me to be here, only ten feet away. 

Then, somehow, Nikaermon seems to start expanding. His thin arms pull off the shirt--and prove he is not human at all. Extra legs are wrapped around his stomach, writhing and untangling themselves to stand. He has not two eyes, but four, with two more under the bandana. A snakelike tongue whips in and out of his disgusting mouth. I can't quite say how, but just looking at him makes me want to vomit. The extra legs have far too many joints, or maybe none at all, bending this way and that like vines. 

"Come out, Digidestined," he says. I watch and listen--no one moves. Nikaermon seems miffed. "I strongly suggest you do as I say. Do not think I cannot bring you out myself." 

You couldn't if you tried, I think to myself, trying to build up my confidence. A little bee, I don't know where it came from, lands on my hand. I try to blow on it, but it just won't move and--now it seems to be angry. 

"Ow!" I scarcely breathe the word when it stings, but when I look up, I know it was a plot. His threatening red eyes lock onto mine, and I feel as though I'm in a wind tunnel. I sway backwards. There's a cloud in my mind. It's raining information on my brain and hissing vile words. My knees buckle under me as I try to comprehend what I'm hearing. Orders, commands, coming so fast I can't make out the words. If they are words.

I stumble out of my hiding place, looking for familiar faces. No, everyone's hiding too well. "Taichi, where are you," I whisper, before something hits me from behind. And I'm falling…falling…even when I know I've hit the ground, still falling….

"I can manipulate you as I wish. No one is coming for you, Hikari," breathe the words in my mind. But they're not really in my mind; Nikaermon's head is hanging over me. I put all my strength into trying to push him away. He laughs.

"Do you see why I will kill you all…?" he casts the words into the air, and they seem to stay. Why, why is no one coming? Taichi…Miyako…. The next name that comes to mind shocks me, or maybe that was Nikaermon again. Yamato…. I am stung, again and again. With each jolt, I grow more weary, but the one name is somewhere in my throat, it screams to be said…or was that me?

"Yamato," I cry. "Help me."

"Come out!" Nikaermon orders. "Or will you let this one of you die?"

Don't let me die, Taichi.

Then I see something. Just enough to renew my hope: a small tuft of white fur. I remember Gatomon, that she was seriously risking herself by just coming, because she is the figurehead. Yet she was willing to give it all up. And I thought I would too. 

Nikaermon waves one vine-like leg over my face. "Any last words, human?"

But I don't want to die, I think. There's something in my peripheral vision--I want to focus on it, but if I look, he will too. I won't let my eyes wander; I'll trust what I think it is. "I will do anything for this team," I say. "If it includes dying…so be it."

I manage to keep my eyes open long enough to catch Nikaermon's look of surprise at my words. And his dismay when MetalGarurumon bites down on one of his legs.

"Hikari…Hikari…can you hear me?"

A blob of orange is talking to me. No, wait, that's Koushiro. An honest mistake, because my eyesight is blurry and my head hurts like nothing I've ever felt before. "Koushi…" I start to say, sitting up, but he instantly pushes me back down. "Try and relax, Hikari. We've got you."

Twisting oddly, I try to figure out what's going on without getting up. Koushiro is typing, typing, typing. Iori, Takeru, Miyako, Sora and Daisuke are clustered a few feet away, tending to a very tired looking Oopamon, Patamon and Veemon. On the other side of me is Yamato, being treated by Jyou for a long gash running the length of his right arm. He smiles at me, but I can tell whatever Jyou's putting on it hurts. "What happened?" I ask, sounding like I have a mouthful of fuzz.

"We had to pull you out of there," Yamato says. "MetalGarurumon provided a distraction." That's when I notice Gabumon, panting and leaning against a tree. We're in the forest, but not far from the clearing. The sounds of battle are drifting through the trees.

"Hey Koushiro, have you found his weakness yet?" my brother asks, clomping over in his heavy shoes. Funny how much more you notice vibrations on the ground.

"I almost have it," Koushiro answers, never looking up from his laptop's screen. 

"Well, hurry. Garudamon can't hold out much longer." He looks at Gomamon. "You'll be up next."

"Right," Gomamon says.

My backpack somehow inches itself over to me. I try to make sure no one sees its movement, then whisper into the partially open zipper, "Gatomon?"

"Oh, Hikari-chan, I'm so glad you're okay. I heard all these sounds but I couldn't figure out what they were…. What's going on?"

"We're fighting a Digimon named Nikaermon. Did you know about him?"

"No! Have we been fighting him this whole time? If he's that bad, why didn't anyone tell me about him?"

"I don't know. No one told me directly, either."

"Oh, I want to fight! I don't want to rule the Digiworld if it means I get left out of everything!"

Koushiro finally looks up as Biyomon walks in and faints almost right away. "Taichi? I've found something that might help us."

"What is it?" he asks. Gomamon's already ready, Digivolved and everything. 

"Well, as far as I can tell, he has no simple weaknesses. Just a very good strategy and the strength to back it up. He's putting all of his power into defenses, see? So he uses less energy while our Digimon burn themselves out. One-on-one, WarGreymon would have been able to take him from the start--if only he struck back more often. Look at his power levels."

Taichi kneels down to stare at the screen. "Whoa, they're getting really low!"

"Exactly, he just doesn't show it. It's like leaving the lights on, so potential robbers think there's someone at home."

"What should we do?"

"Normally, I would say we fight fire with fire. Force him to strike out. But we've exhausted our resources," he finishes, looking at the weary Biyomon. 

I look at Gatomon. "Are you up to it?"

"Are you kidding? As long as I'm not stuck in this bag for the whole trip home, I'll do it.

"Deal," I say as she climbs out and shakes herself. "Taichi?"

"Hikari, I'm kind of busy right--Gatomon?"

"What're you doing here?" Yamato asks.

"I came with Hikari," she says. 

"You brought Gatomon? What were you thinking?" Jyou exclaims.

"No, wait! This is exactly what we need right now!" says Koushiro. "Gatomon, can you Digivolve into Angewomon for us?"

"Sure, done it a bunch of times. I'm not supposed to hit him though, right? Just not let him hit me?"

"Exactly. You don't even need to go any higher than Angewomon."

She nods. "Gatomon Digivolve to…Angewomon!"

And I watch our last hope take off, into the sky and past the trees. I try to sit up, but once again they make me lie down. "You've had a major shock to your system," Jyou says, "you need to rest."

Rest? I think. How in the world am I supposed to rest? I have to be there to know what happens! But before I know it, I've fallen asleep.

"Hikari-chan?" says my mother, "I have to go to the store, we're running low on vegetables. Don't leave the house, okay?"

"Okay," I say, laughing to myself. My house is probably one of the only places in Japan where we make extra trips to the store for vegetables.

And in case you didn't notice, I am home. We all made it back--each and every one of us. You know, when you're feeling really awful, especially if you've been feeling that way for a long time, it seems like it will never end. But I'm sitting on the couch, doing positively nothing, and I'm having a great time. Because I trust Taichi is safe, over at Sora's again. I trust Daisuke and Takeru are safe, playing soccer at the park. 

Plus, there's someone waiting for me downstairs. I steal a peek out the window, and am pleased to see the blue jeep parked next to the curb. I pull on my shoes, and hope very much that he'll put his arm around me at the movies. My parents weren't happy that he's the same age as Taichi, but as long as I always come home by ten, they'll allow it, for now. 

Yamato kisses me as I get in the car.

******

Yes, see, this was all just an elaborate Yakari--no, really. I hope no one gets mad at me, and I know there's almost no basis for a Yamato-Hikari relationship in the show, but there was in my story. So that's your ending. Go write a review. Go! This is my first finished fanfiction on FanFiction.net, and I really want some opinions! Otherwise, just go read something else now. ^_^


	4. First Part of Second Ending (that isn't ...

This is the first part of my alternate ending. ^_^ I would have waited until I finished it, it's not quite as long as the other parts, but, um…I'm anxious for everyone to read. This's being written because some people have mentioned in the reviews that the end wasn't as good as the rest of it, and (as I think I noted there) it's pretty much because I was tired of my story, wasn't interested in it and was just kind of wrote it down without the detail and all. I'm not sure how good this new part is either, I'm kind of sleepy right now, it's past midnight where I am…. ::yawns:: Anyway! I hope you enjoy. And remember, this is just the first part, that's not the end of the whole story down there. ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hikari…wake up…."

My eyes seem to stick to my eyeballs, and I force them open. Yamato is sitting up beside me. His golden hair ruffles in the cool breeze as he looks up at the starry sky. No more words come from his mouth, and I wonder if he even spoke them at all, if I was just imagining. 

Long moments pass without a sound from either of us. Then---

"Do you hate me, Hikari?"

"Yamato, why would I hate you?"

"Is that a no?"

He looks so much older than I, disconcertingly serious and frightening in the bluish light. "Why should I?" I ask, answering a question with a question.

His face turns more towards the horizon. "You still don't know."

"Know what?" I say. A pang of annoyance sounds in my chest, and I smother it as best I can. I feel like I have no right to be angry with anyone. There's no reply, so I ask again. "Know what---"

"Shh." Yamato takes a long pause. "There's more going on in the Digiworld than anyone could have seen," he says. "I know that Taichi and I…and Daisuke, and Takeru…we lied. We lied to everyone. It was wrong, but we thought it would keep you all safe…except now it's manifested and come back…." He drops his head into his hands. Tears, wiped from his cheek, glisten on his fingertips. "Despite all that, we need you to trust us. We know what's going on now, we can keep everyone safe this time, including ourselves."

I lean closer and try to meet his eyes. "When are you going to tell the truth? Because, I'm sorry--you tell me you lied, and my own brother lied to me, and then he was nearly killed--and you want me to…to believe you know what you're doing now?" Shut up, Hikari! I think. They risked their lives. You're an ungrateful weakling. What did you do when your friends disappeared? YOU STAYED HOME AND CRIED. They were trying to help you…to help you….

"We know more than you do. And it's after US, not you or Miyako or Sora or Jyou…."

"What about Iori?"

He says nothing.

"Are you kidding? What does Iori have in common with you guys that Koushiro and Jyou don't?"

"Hikari, I'm not supposed to tell you anything. Neither is Taichi--but from what I can tell, he hasn't kept his promise either. I---"

Trust them! They're the strong ones! They'll protect you! my mind is screaming. "No," I say aloud. For once in my life, I want to take care of myself. Ever since I was little, I've depended on Taichi or Takeru or Yamato. That's why, I think, I fell apart so much when Taichi was gone. Everyone else is strong…and I'm weak, I'm a burden to everyone, I let this horrible stuff happen to my brother and--- "No, Yamato."

He watches me get up and gather my backpack, some food, and a pack of matches from the box. "Where are you going?"

"AWAY!" I yell, not looking back at him. "I change my mind. I do hate you!" The others are starting to wake from my shouting, so I start running into the woods--not in the direction we came from, not in the direction we were going--just away. Gatomon sinks her claws into my shoulder a little as she fights to get out of my backpack.

"Hikari-chan, where're we going?" she asks. "I was taking a cat nap."

I don't answer her, because I'm focusing on not running into the thickly placed trees. She gently pulls her claws out of my shoulder and climbs into my arms. "Wake me up when we get there," she says, yawning.

Satisfied that I'm far enough away, I sit down to rest. Tears I didn't know were there to cry come spilling out. What did I say? Did I actually tell Yamato I hated him? Did I mean it? Thinking now, I can hardly remember the conversation that led me here, alone save Gatomon, as likely as not to just go running back.

If I could find my way back.

I lean against a cool rock and brush my hair out of my eyes. I wish someone understood me…I certainly don't. Gatomon licks my hand comfortingly, like a sweet housecat, and we slip into a light sleep.

I find myself conscious, in pain. Icy hands grip my shoulders, then no more gently, my neck. Long fingers run through my hair. One shimmering, lethal fingernail creates a shallow slice across my forehead…I gasp as the blood trickles down my face, sticky, warm, into my mouth, salty….

"Creeeeahhhh…."

I try to speak, but something is stealing my energy, and the only word I can form is "why…."

"Say nothing…seeeveee…"

"No…." It's behind me. I try to hit it, to push it away, but my arms don't seem to work, and I have no strength….

Cold streams into my cut. It freezes me, with a feeling like I'll never be warm again…. I open my eyes. The Digiworld forest is gone, the rock is gone, Gatomon is gone, all replaced with such a darkness that one couldn't tell which way is up, down, left or right.

I touch my forehead--the blood is drying. I brush some of it away with my sleeve, and feel no cut underneath my fingers. Not the slightest scratch.

"I know…."

The voice! I jerk to my senses. My eyes work hard, trying to see something when there is nothing to see. "Know what?" I say, laboring not to let my voice crack with fear.

"Takeru…."

He appears some ten yards away, hands and feet bound, head drooping down. He position suggests he's tied to something, or hanging, but there's nothing else there.

"Takeru!" I run towards his glowing figure. But before I get there, he disappears.

"What are you?!" I scream. "Are you doing this?!"

What is this creature, this being, that I can't see, but can feel--I can feel it come closer. Then the hands are in my hair again, tilting my head. "Suhrethhhhhh…." It whispers in my ear. My strength begins to leave me.

"No!" I grip one of those cold hands in mine. The skin is like tissue paper, breaking under the stress and running something thick all over my head. I have to let go--it's like sticking your hand in water and letting it freeze. I'm unable to so much as keep my eyes open. "What…what…."

"Life…."

"Stop…" I say, wondering if it knows what it's doing, "you're hurting me…."

Its hold becomes more painful. "Blood…death…."

"You're not making sense! Stop this!"

My head is wrenched sideways, and I scream. "Please!" I begin to sob. "Please! Stop!"

"Die…."

I drop to my knees. "Please…."

"HIKARI!"

I open my eyes to see Gatomon, standing on my chest. She breathes a sigh of relief. "Hikari-chan, what were you dreaming about? You were talking in your sleep…then you just started bleeding, but look, there's no cut…."

She steps off me as I pant. "I don't know…oh, Gatomon, it was horrible!"

"Tell me about it."

I cradle her in my arms, wanting to feel how warm she is, wanting to ignore the dried blood still on my face, wanting the thick goo to be gone from my hair…. "I don't…I was somewhere else, it was dark, and something was holding my head, it kept saying things that didn't make sense. Just words, or sounds…and I saw Takeru! He was unconscious, I hope, because he wasn't moving…. And that thing was trying to kill me, I think, it was breaking my neck…. Oh, Gatomon, how long have I been asleep?"

Gatomon looks at my watch. "About two hours. It's only one in the morning now…." She's scared, almost as much as I am; it shows in her wobbling voice. "Hikari-chan, I don't think you should sleep anymore, for now…."

"So do I…." I look around, at the wind rustling through the trees, the moon somewhere above us. You were going to be strong, remember, Hikari? You were…you wanted to stop being so dependent on others. But who knows what would have happened if Gatomon hadn't woken me up from that dream? I was bleeding because of something in there, so if that thing killed me, who's to say I wouldn't really die? I hug Gatomon tightly, and stand up. I am going to be strong. "Come on, Gatomon. If we're not going to sleep…we can at least look."

"For what?" she asks.

I pause, not sure what I was intending to look for. Then it comes to me, so obvious, the whole reason I ran away, even though I must have forgotten it. 

"Takeru. We must find Takeru."


End file.
